Bigass Weekend Wrap-Up: Friday Groutfit With Pleats; Saturday With Family; Sunday Shop in Adidas

Hello, my friends, and welcome back! This felt like the last free weekend before all the madness, so L and I hunkered down and did very little. However, that still means an outfit or two, and of course cat pictures, so grab a cuppa and join me.

Friday's work outfit was based on a prompt from a friend on Substack, to wear a "groutfit" (a grey outfit). I have very little grey in my wardrobe, compared to other colours, but sure, I am always game for a challenge. 

I had a lot of kitty accompaniment! That's Barnabas, bringing me his orange ball to toss down the hall for him and Whateley to scramble after. 

• Wool/silk sweater - Iris Setlakwe, thrifted; last seen here (2nd outfit) with velvets to a January cocktail party
• Skirt - Uniqlo X Claire Waight Keller, consignment; first worn here in August with olive and black
• Creeper shoes - Call It Spring, consignment; last seen here in November with mock croc
• Baby alpaca/wool coat - Mallia, consignment; last worn here (2nd outfit) on the weekend

I am done with this grey sweater - I've worn it 10 times since I bought it for $39.95 in 2021. 

I'm not inspired by grey, and while it's a cool piece, I do not reach for it. It was at the bottom of my sweater stack.

The skirt was lovely and swooshy to wear - I very much enjoyed it. 

"Why does Barnabas get a cuddle?"           "'Cause I love to snuggle!"

Whateley is not much for cuddling, but I do it anyway! 

Little lurkers! I had to do a lot of walking on Friday - I walked to work, then hopped a bus home.

Then I walked to my haircut and met up with L at the pub afterwards, and then walked home from there (Vlad is in the shop). 

All done up and nice and warm. 

"Put the toilet paper down where I can reach it!"

Not bloody likely! 

The stuff:

My keys are out because this purse has a chain for that very purpose! I hate digging for keys in the bottom of a bag, don't you?

• Leather purse - Sonia Rykiel, vintage 90s, thrifted
• Wool beret - consignment
• Star pin - consignment
• Fur scarf - thrifted
• Leather gloves - Danier Leather

The shoes performed admirably, but I was very happy to take them off after 12 hours. 

Amber bling: 

My coworkers gasped at all my amber (I need more rings - I have been looking!). The pins were on my coat's lapel.

• Tree pin - Avon
• Amber ant pin - Russian, consignment
• Amber/silver large bracelet - consignment
• Amber/silver small bracelet - consignment, Powell River
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Silver/amber thumb ring - consignment
• Silver/smoky topaz ring - Anneli Neumann, Sweden, vintage mall
• Silver/amber ring - Past Times, c. 1996, gift from L
• Amber/silver necklace - vintage mall, gift from L
• Silver/amber earrings - vintage 20s, vintage mall, gift from L 

I had the cutest company while I got ready in the morning:

"Barnabas, you're supposed to pretend you're sleeping."       "But I love the Woman!"

The latest fascination is the bolt cover for the toilet. One of them has been removed and batted around the house (it's now taped in place).

"Shhhh...be cool!"       "But maybe she will cuddle me some more?"

It was hard to leave them! 

I took a few pictures of holiday decorations while I walked through the Fern'hood on my way to my hair appointment.

I like a mish-mash of LOTS of lights. Big inflatables or candy canes or characters do not appeal to me at all. LIGHTS! 

Our skeleton friend had her eyes on! They were blinking and followed me as I walked past. 

Her house had excellent deep-coloured lights. I approve! 

And on the way to the Fernwood Inn (aka the Winchester) for dinner. This is the square near the Belfry Theatre (the spire).

We quickly ate and then strolled home to spend our evening with the kittens, and playing board games.

Box cat! Whateley sat in the lid for a few minutes (kittens never stay in one place for long).

"I can confirm that this is your finger."

Such a cutie!

"Yes, can I help you?"

Dat face! 

We both laughed at this picture.

"What? We're just sitting here!"      "I'm showing my underpants!"

Barnabas has white patches in his armpits and across his lower belly - we call it his hip-hop underpants, sticking out. 

Whateley, have you had enough of all this carousing? 

"Yup."

Saturday was different than our usual: we skipped brunch as my brother Dave, his fiancée Shelley, his two youngest daughters, Hannah and Sydney, and Hannah's boyfriend Matt, all came by to visit and meet the kittens. 

From left: Matt, Hannah and Sydney. We may miss Syd on Christmas as she'll be with her mom's family, so she got her present early, although no opening till Christmas! But I know my fam (aside from Mom) doesn't read my blog, so here's what she got! 

• Cobalt blue wool beret (my old one, now that I have an angora one).
• A lime green crocheted, lined bag, covered with shiny green paillettes. It's amazing (found it at Value Village).
• The green acrylic striped ring (it did not work for me - too big). 
• A YA fiction novel about witches! (She is 17). 

We'll see Hannah on the day, as she lives at home with her mom, my brother's ex-wife, Cynthia. 

Shelley and Dave. 

Note Whateley up on the post behind Shelley.

I pointed out to Dave that he was in the "throne" chair. 

See? That Past Times cushion says "His Majesty" on the bottom. 

I cut the inside wrapping paper tube in half and let the Paper Monsters play with them. 

This was possibly the Best Cat Gift Ever. 

They LOVED diving into the tubes, which wrapped around them, without restricting.

A lot of fighting and scampering ensued! 

These tubes are now permanently out for playtime. 

Under the coffee table. 

After a quiet evening of playing board games, L and I split up on Sunday to get our holiday shopping finished. I headed down Oak Bay Avenue, and L walked to town. 

The weather was grey with threats of rain, but it's still warm (in double digits) so I didn't need to be too bundled up. Layers are key here! 

I started with the boots, as I needed footwear that would be good for walking to and from Turnabout, which was my farthest destination, about 4km. 

• Jacket - Adidas, vintage 90s, consignment; first worn here in May
• T-shirt - Banksy tour shirt, consignment; last seen here in October for my birthday
• Suede skirt - Guillaume, vintage 00s, consignment, Powell River; last worn here in March for St. Patrick's Day
• Boots - Original Samedi, Fluevog; last seen here in November on our Sidney shop

This is how I looked for most of the day. The puffer jacket is warm! 

The cropped hem and sleeves (I suspect it's a child's size) helped me cool off while I walked. 

The lime green embroidery here is echoed by a lime green coat lining.

The skirt is a good thick suede, and the perfect length. It has a slit in the front. 

Without the jacket, although I only took it off when I tried a few things on for myself. 

I find it hard to shop for others...and NOT shop for myself. There are always things that call to me! 

All bundled up. 

I mostly carried the toque and gloves in my purse and then in my two full shopping bags. 

The stuff: 

I love all these colours together. 

• Leather purse - Michael Kors, consignment
• Wool-blend scarf - Missoni x Target, consignment
• Leather gloves - consignment
• Toque - consignment
• Art Gallery button - exhibit swag
• Star pin - consignment
• Sparkly brooch - Eaton's, c. 1999

The brooches covered up the Adidas logo on the jacket's front. 

Pink bling: 

I don't wear as much stuff when I shop. 

• Belt - Ralph Lauren, thrifted
• Leather cuff - Guess, thrifted
• Leather grey cuff - thrifted
• Silver Anneke & Lars ring - vintage mall
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Silver/amethyst crystal pendant - gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1994
• Silver Celtic S pendant - UK, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1997

My first stop was Good Things Consignment Vintage, where I found the amber ring of my dreams. 

A square ring with a raised setting, and a very sparkly amber with lots of inclusions. 

I gave it a scrub with soap and water and then buffed it. 

It was very dark/tarnished. I prefer to polish my silver by wearing it, rather than using chemicals. 

There's the ".925" sterling mark. 

This was $65.00, but I'll wear it a lot, I'm sure. 

I LOVE Jeanne Beker - she was the host of the TV show "FashionTelevision" aka "FT" from 1985 to 2012 (about it here). 

She's currently one of the judges on "Project Runway Canada"! This was $12.00. 

From Good Things, I walked further up Oak Bay Ave, all the way to Turnabout, where I had a skim of the women's wear (really!), found a couple of things for L and Mom, and of course, a few things leapt out at me and said, "Take me home!"

I was enchanted by these long dangly - but light! - earrings by Chan Luu, a Vietnamese designer. 

Seems like a good company - all women-owned and operated (about them here, all links 'cause I love).

The top parts of the earrings and the backs are marked for sterling silver. 

I don't know what the black part is, but these were $59.99 - their earrings run $95-250 new, and these were still on the card. 

I tried a few things on, but nothing really caught me, except for this gorgeously colourful blouse. 

It's a drapey cut, mostly sheer (so I'll be wearing camisoles under it). 

The back has a big dip, with a black connector. 

And there's some sort of fin on the back, set off to the side. 

It's by Marni. 

About 1/3 silk, nice. 

And made in Italy. This was marked way down, from Turnabout's original $129.99 to $52.50. 

I was nearly home, then noticed that Pocket was open. Better go in! I actually found an amazing t-shirt for my brother-in-law, so I'm glad I stopped! 

I also found this incredible leather top/jacket. 

It's very curvy and structured so that only the middle section of buttons does up. Note the big buttons on the cuffs too. 

It's Italian Leather, and made in Canada by Danier. 

This would have been in the $500 range new! 

For me, it was $92.00 (still expensive, so Happy Christmas to me, ho ho ho). 

But I love it and am excited to wear it soon! 

I also may have gasped at these jeans. 

I adore the baby blue and black wavy pattern! 

I felt like they were just a little too short...

Because someone's hemmed them! I'm gonna pull those stitches out ASAP. 

The denim is really thick and heavy.

Happy to see it's 100% cotton. 

They're by Ragged Jeans and were $58.00. 

Apparently this brand is actually called Ragged Priest? Don't care - they are fun, and I'm excited to wear them! 

Whateley and Barnabas, how are you boys doing? 

Just chilling out, I see. 

Puddle of cat. 

Barnabas snoozing while we played games on Saturday. 

And Whateley with me.

Aw, such lovely boys. 

I hope you enjoyed our weekend! Thanks so much for being here!